Most-wanted fugitives get featured on Times Square billboard

Tawan Hines is among the first fugitives to have their names and mug shots on a digital billboard in the heart of Times Square. (WPIX-TV / January 15, 2010)

CHALEAMPON OATES RITTHICHAI wpix.com

12:16 p.m. EST, January 15, 2010
NEW YORK (WPIX)—
Tawan Hines is the star of a new billboard in Times Square. No, the drug-trafficking suspect is not headlining a new Broadway play or hawking a line of products - he's just one of many fugitives on the run from the FBI.

In an attempt to generate tips from tourists, authorities are showcasing the names and mugshots of criminals on the lam on a giant billboard in one of the most visited locations in the world.

On Friday, the FBI's New York Office unveiled a 30- by 40-foot digital billboard that featured photos of suspects that range from violent fugitives to white collar criminals.

"The process is simple, if you see something on our billboard and have a tip, pickup the phone and call," said Belle Chen of the FBI New York Office.

The project is part of a nation-wide operation in 20 cities with more than 1,000 billboards displaying runaway criminals. So far, it has helped resolve at least 30 cases, according to the FBI statement.

"With millions of people passing through Times Square every year, there is no better way to draw attention," said FBI New York Office's Assistant Director Joseph M. Demarest.

The billboard at 47th St. and Broadway, provided by Clear Channel Outdoor as a public service, will also display information on kidnap victims, missing children and high-priority security messages.